Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
"OUT OF THE BOX REVIEW...PMA 2009" by Wayne Toberman
March 3, 2009 Las Vegas Nevada: A Special “Out Of The Box” Camera and Photography Equipment Review from the floor of the Photo Marketing Association International Trade Show, Las Vegas Nevada, for the Chicago Power Squadron.
Today was opening day of PMA 2009, the largest yearly photo equipment trade show in the country, and I decided to start things off right with an information article specifically tailored to boaters for the CPS’s March 2009 issue of the Chicago Log.
For a show that’s always used to showcase the newest and the best from all the major camera manufacturers in the world, this year’s event came as a surprise with few if any new releases from the traditional pro lines.
Instead, they came from their “point and shoot’ subset arenas, in particular, the Waterproof or Water Resistant models.
After listening to a variety of reps, experts, and managers tout the wonders of their individual products (there was only one or two new models released per company), it became instantly obvious that the best models for sail and power boaters, occasional snorkelers, beach combers, and desert wayfarers weren’t always the expensive ones. (This fact, I discovered first hand, runs contrary to the best efforts of the sales force of the major retailers around Chicago to sell you closeout Weather and Water Proof items at vastly inflated prices).
Here are the latest and greatest choices that will be available within the next 60 days, just in time for the upcoming vacation and boating season. Disclaimer time: Actual controlled, side-by-side image comparison testing for this article was unavailable at the show, but given all the similar exposures I was able to make and view from each camera, more than enough data was available to make a series of end user recommendations.
Right off the bat, it’s almost impossible to find under one retailer’s roof in Chicago, one or more competing models of affordable, Water Proof/Resistant digital cameras. Accurate comparison information on competing lines is even scarcer. To save you the trouble of looking and asking, check out the following on the following Water Proof/Resistant models complete with prices to point you in the right direction for your own needs.
First off, Nikon doesn’t have one so don’t bother looking.
The newly released Canon model has yet to hit the streets, with definite shipping dates and pricing still up in the air (estimated at late Spring and about $399.95). Not a bargain given it’s a 10-mega pixel (MP) camera with few pluses due to a lack of information from its reps.
That leaves the rest of the pack to look at including Panasonic, Fuji, Kodak, Pentax, and Olympus.
Panasonic has the new 12 MP Lumix GS1 w/a leica lens. It’s Shock Proof (droppable) from five feet, Water Proof to only 10 feet, but offers HD 720P Video w/sound (“great to record underwater bubbles”), for $399.00. The most expensive of the bunch right now, for what you get.
Pentax offers two models to choose from. Right now, the 10 MP W60 that’s Water Proof to 13 feet, has a 5x optical zoom, no video capabilities, but expected to go on sale for $250.00 by June. The newest and soon to be released, 10 MP W80 is due out by May. Besides all the W60 capabilities, it will be shock proof from about five feet, dust proof, and temperature resistant to about –10C! Price is expected in the $299.00 range.
Kodak is a new arrival on the Weather (NOT WATER) Proof/Resistant scene with the ZX1 Video camera that looks like a Razor Cell Phone. Weather Resistant means that it will take splashes, work in snow while skiing the slopes, and in dusty and sandy conditions without problems. It offers Full 720P HD Video recording with times of up to10 hrs on a 33mb card as well as 3.1 MP VGA video and/or still photo capabilities! The images looked great, and Popular Mechanics lauded the newly released camera in a recent issue. At $149.95, providing it’s not dropped overboard, it’s a steal!
The Olympus models were by far the most impressive from a purely survival standpoint. The 10 MP Stylus 550 is Water Proof to 10 feet for up to one hour and sells for $199.00. The 12 MP Stylus Tough 8000 is Water Proof to 33 feet, shock proof from six feet and has a 6x optical zoom lens. Remarkably, all it’s internal components are sealed in protective gel within a stainless steel body enabling it to take incredible amount of physical punishment including being frozen in a block of ice, all for $399.00. In between, there’s the 10 MP Stylus Tough 6000 that’s similar in build to the 8000, except it’s Water Proof to only 10 feet, Shock Proof from five feet, and priced at $299.00.
The Fuji is the last conventional camera with the Fujifim Finepix Z33 WP. It’s the latest in the Fujifilm Go Anywhere Anytime camera line. The 10 MP Z33 is packed with an unbelievable number of functions and capabilities. It’s Water Proof to 10 feet, has a 3x optical zoom, a very bright 2.7 inch high resolution viewing screen, six different auto image scene recognition modes which automatically identifies and corrects for different shooting situations (backlit, portrait, night time, daytime, people and macro capabilities to 1”), one touch 60 second movie clip start/stop to 60 minutes w/sound and image stabilization, Blog mode w/12 editing functions for instant uploading to your web site, facial recognition for groups up to 12 people, and red eye prevention all in the worlds smallest Water Proof camera! All for $199.95!
The most unusual model seen was made by Liquid Image. The company has two integrated masks and camera combination's, which they sell thru Dive Shops and the Internet. One version is the Snorkel Mask, that’s waterproof to 15 feet and sells for $99.00. It uses 2GB micro SD cards and produces 3000-5MP images or 72 minutes of VGA (video) images. The Scuba version is Water Proof to 115 feet and sells for $250. For those deep dives, there’s also an LED light set with strobe and continuous lighting capabilities that sells for $118.00.
Again, everyone’s camera requirements are as different as their own individual situations, needs, requirements, and expectations. To one extreme, there’s the nearly indestructible Olympus line. On the other falls an eclectic array of near-specialty cameras. In the middle, is the Fuji Z33, a very nicely equipped, quite affordable piece of photo equipment. The common thread tying them all together is that their images are very similar, leaving their capabilities and your needs to make the final call.
The one final word I have for you is caution. Underwater housings are available for your regular point and shoots. The hard case versions are cumbersome and easily start at $100.00 with plastic bag versions at $50 and above. I’ve had a $70.00 “baggie” model flood after three swims ruining my Fuji. Most consumer grade housings are limiting, bulky, leak easily, and were few and far between at the show, proving they’re on the way out for a reason.
Wayne Toberman, for Out of the Box Reviews. 2009
Today was opening day of PMA 2009, the largest yearly photo equipment trade show in the country, and I decided to start things off right with an information article specifically tailored to boaters for the CPS’s March 2009 issue of the Chicago Log.
For a show that’s always used to showcase the newest and the best from all the major camera manufacturers in the world, this year’s event came as a surprise with few if any new releases from the traditional pro lines.
Instead, they came from their “point and shoot’ subset arenas, in particular, the Waterproof or Water Resistant models.
After listening to a variety of reps, experts, and managers tout the wonders of their individual products (there was only one or two new models released per company), it became instantly obvious that the best models for sail and power boaters, occasional snorkelers, beach combers, and desert wayfarers weren’t always the expensive ones. (This fact, I discovered first hand, runs contrary to the best efforts of the sales force of the major retailers around Chicago to sell you closeout Weather and Water Proof items at vastly inflated prices).
Here are the latest and greatest choices that will be available within the next 60 days, just in time for the upcoming vacation and boating season. Disclaimer time: Actual controlled, side-by-side image comparison testing for this article was unavailable at the show, but given all the similar exposures I was able to make and view from each camera, more than enough data was available to make a series of end user recommendations.
Right off the bat, it’s almost impossible to find under one retailer’s roof in Chicago, one or more competing models of affordable, Water Proof/Resistant digital cameras. Accurate comparison information on competing lines is even scarcer. To save you the trouble of looking and asking, check out the following on the following Water Proof/Resistant models complete with prices to point you in the right direction for your own needs.
First off, Nikon doesn’t have one so don’t bother looking.
The newly released Canon model has yet to hit the streets, with definite shipping dates and pricing still up in the air (estimated at late Spring and about $399.95). Not a bargain given it’s a 10-mega pixel (MP) camera with few pluses due to a lack of information from its reps.
That leaves the rest of the pack to look at including Panasonic, Fuji, Kodak, Pentax, and Olympus.
Panasonic has the new 12 MP Lumix GS1 w/a leica lens. It’s Shock Proof (droppable) from five feet, Water Proof to only 10 feet, but offers HD 720P Video w/sound (“great to record underwater bubbles”), for $399.00. The most expensive of the bunch right now, for what you get.
Pentax offers two models to choose from. Right now, the 10 MP W60 that’s Water Proof to 13 feet, has a 5x optical zoom, no video capabilities, but expected to go on sale for $250.00 by June. The newest and soon to be released, 10 MP W80 is due out by May. Besides all the W60 capabilities, it will be shock proof from about five feet, dust proof, and temperature resistant to about –10C! Price is expected in the $299.00 range.
Kodak is a new arrival on the Weather (NOT WATER) Proof/Resistant scene with the ZX1 Video camera that looks like a Razor Cell Phone. Weather Resistant means that it will take splashes, work in snow while skiing the slopes, and in dusty and sandy conditions without problems. It offers Full 720P HD Video recording with times of up to10 hrs on a 33mb card as well as 3.1 MP VGA video and/or still photo capabilities! The images looked great, and Popular Mechanics lauded the newly released camera in a recent issue. At $149.95, providing it’s not dropped overboard, it’s a steal!
The Olympus models were by far the most impressive from a purely survival standpoint. The 10 MP Stylus 550 is Water Proof to 10 feet for up to one hour and sells for $199.00. The 12 MP Stylus Tough 8000 is Water Proof to 33 feet, shock proof from six feet and has a 6x optical zoom lens. Remarkably, all it’s internal components are sealed in protective gel within a stainless steel body enabling it to take incredible amount of physical punishment including being frozen in a block of ice, all for $399.00. In between, there’s the 10 MP Stylus Tough 6000 that’s similar in build to the 8000, except it’s Water Proof to only 10 feet, Shock Proof from five feet, and priced at $299.00.
The Fuji is the last conventional camera with the Fujifim Finepix Z33 WP. It’s the latest in the Fujifilm Go Anywhere Anytime camera line. The 10 MP Z33 is packed with an unbelievable number of functions and capabilities. It’s Water Proof to 10 feet, has a 3x optical zoom, a very bright 2.7 inch high resolution viewing screen, six different auto image scene recognition modes which automatically identifies and corrects for different shooting situations (backlit, portrait, night time, daytime, people and macro capabilities to 1”), one touch 60 second movie clip start/stop to 60 minutes w/sound and image stabilization, Blog mode w/12 editing functions for instant uploading to your web site, facial recognition for groups up to 12 people, and red eye prevention all in the worlds smallest Water Proof camera! All for $199.95!
The most unusual model seen was made by Liquid Image. The company has two integrated masks and camera combination's, which they sell thru Dive Shops and the Internet. One version is the Snorkel Mask, that’s waterproof to 15 feet and sells for $99.00. It uses 2GB micro SD cards and produces 3000-5MP images or 72 minutes of VGA (video) images. The Scuba version is Water Proof to 115 feet and sells for $250. For those deep dives, there’s also an LED light set with strobe and continuous lighting capabilities that sells for $118.00.
Again, everyone’s camera requirements are as different as their own individual situations, needs, requirements, and expectations. To one extreme, there’s the nearly indestructible Olympus line. On the other falls an eclectic array of near-specialty cameras. In the middle, is the Fuji Z33, a very nicely equipped, quite affordable piece of photo equipment. The common thread tying them all together is that their images are very similar, leaving their capabilities and your needs to make the final call.
The one final word I have for you is caution. Underwater housings are available for your regular point and shoots. The hard case versions are cumbersome and easily start at $100.00 with plastic bag versions at $50 and above. I’ve had a $70.00 “baggie” model flood after three swims ruining my Fuji. Most consumer grade housings are limiting, bulky, leak easily, and were few and far between at the show, proving they’re on the way out for a reason.
Wayne Toberman, for Out of the Box Reviews. 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Notes from the Commander
For the second issue in a row, it is my unfortunate duty as Commander to bid farewell to another squadron member, this time, David Shupert.
David passed away early in January from complications resulting from multiple operations. He is survived by his partner of many years, Cathy Lash and a daughter from a previous marriage. A memorial ceremony will be scheduled for a date, time, and location yet to be determined later on toward summer.
David was a loyal friend to the Squadron and will be missed.
At this minute, I’m writing this column from just outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Why do I bring that up, you might ask? Well, I’d like to take a minute to segue from loss to a reaffirmation and a little thankfulness of what we all have available to us back home. I’d like to recount a conversation I had last night with some of the staff of the Lake Meade Marina, while at their restaurant right on, and over, the Lake.
As a tourist and boater, and to the backdrop of the following, I have to say that I was particularly impressed by their massive covered docks and boating support facility, complete with: affordable boat rentals, a mini boardwalk and intersecting dock layout and 1,000s of 10 pound and above Catfish and Carp swarming madly around the supports. Of course, the frenzy was helped out a bit, to the delights of the children and parents alike who encouraged the commotion with handfuls of popcorn, chips, bread or whatever was available. All the while, lit by an awe inspiring sunset, illuminating absolutely clear water and the surrounding rock formations, in and out of the water. A great way to finish off a perfect day, and I told them so.
They asked me where I was from, and if I was a boater. I told them Chicago and yes, and that I am also a member of the Chicago Power Squadron. As soon as I finished my words, they looked at each other, and with broad expressive smiles on their faces, immediately began to recount their boating experiences on the Great Lakes. Most of all, though, they talked of the fantastic times they had on Lake Michigan, out of Chicago, and just how fortunate I was to have the boating opportunities of a lifetime right on my doorstep! If they only had that kind of boating in Vegas!
I answered their polite comments with a few extra compliments directed toward their own operation and it’s opportunities, but was cut short by their own explanations of just what the future held in store for them and their Family’s business. They were more than staff, it seemed. The Lake, they explained had receded over 110 feet from the shoreline since last year alone! The reason they were floating over the water, as opposed to by the water, was that they have to move their enormous floating marina, restaurant and tourist attraction further and further into the Lake each time the level drops! The lightened water lines on the surrounding rock faces on shore, and on the many now emerging islands which looked like pylons belonging more to an obstacle course than a lake, were graphic examples of the recent climatic changes, that if not checked in the near term, could spell disaster for them, their business and the region as well. That was also the source of envy, which they showed when discussing their memories. The memories of young men in their late 20s!
In an attempt to be somewhat seasonally sensitive, I have to remind everyone that it’s almost, but not quite, our own boating season. In about 30 days or less, about half past this edition of the Chicago Log, we will all be preparing to pull the covers off our boats and jump right into the yearly ritual of the Annual Refit! Before we do that, though, we need to remember the basics and always, Safety First. Whether working with a forgotten battery that may have frozen over the intense Winter, or while scraping and painting that flaking hull, remember the masks, the gloves and as required, the suits and tools to do the job right. With over two months to get all the jobs done, it’s better to take our time, and do the job right the first time.
On the announcement side, I’d like to put the spotlight on our Editor, Janice North, who has been the brains, and brawn behind the Chicago Log for many years. It has just come to our attention that the Chi Log has been voted the number one newsletter by National, from a field of hundreds, from throughout the entire USPS! We always knew our Chi Log, and Jan were the best. Now everyone else does too! A job well done, Jan…Thank You!
As has been said by countless others and now plagiarized by me, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Wayne
David passed away early in January from complications resulting from multiple operations. He is survived by his partner of many years, Cathy Lash and a daughter from a previous marriage. A memorial ceremony will be scheduled for a date, time, and location yet to be determined later on toward summer.
David was a loyal friend to the Squadron and will be missed.
At this minute, I’m writing this column from just outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Why do I bring that up, you might ask? Well, I’d like to take a minute to segue from loss to a reaffirmation and a little thankfulness of what we all have available to us back home. I’d like to recount a conversation I had last night with some of the staff of the Lake Meade Marina, while at their restaurant right on, and over, the Lake.
As a tourist and boater, and to the backdrop of the following, I have to say that I was particularly impressed by their massive covered docks and boating support facility, complete with: affordable boat rentals, a mini boardwalk and intersecting dock layout and 1,000s of 10 pound and above Catfish and Carp swarming madly around the supports. Of course, the frenzy was helped out a bit, to the delights of the children and parents alike who encouraged the commotion with handfuls of popcorn, chips, bread or whatever was available. All the while, lit by an awe inspiring sunset, illuminating absolutely clear water and the surrounding rock formations, in and out of the water. A great way to finish off a perfect day, and I told them so.
They asked me where I was from, and if I was a boater. I told them Chicago and yes, and that I am also a member of the Chicago Power Squadron. As soon as I finished my words, they looked at each other, and with broad expressive smiles on their faces, immediately began to recount their boating experiences on the Great Lakes. Most of all, though, they talked of the fantastic times they had on Lake Michigan, out of Chicago, and just how fortunate I was to have the boating opportunities of a lifetime right on my doorstep! If they only had that kind of boating in Vegas!
I answered their polite comments with a few extra compliments directed toward their own operation and it’s opportunities, but was cut short by their own explanations of just what the future held in store for them and their Family’s business. They were more than staff, it seemed. The Lake, they explained had receded over 110 feet from the shoreline since last year alone! The reason they were floating over the water, as opposed to by the water, was that they have to move their enormous floating marina, restaurant and tourist attraction further and further into the Lake each time the level drops! The lightened water lines on the surrounding rock faces on shore, and on the many now emerging islands which looked like pylons belonging more to an obstacle course than a lake, were graphic examples of the recent climatic changes, that if not checked in the near term, could spell disaster for them, their business and the region as well. That was also the source of envy, which they showed when discussing their memories. The memories of young men in their late 20s!
In an attempt to be somewhat seasonally sensitive, I have to remind everyone that it’s almost, but not quite, our own boating season. In about 30 days or less, about half past this edition of the Chicago Log, we will all be preparing to pull the covers off our boats and jump right into the yearly ritual of the Annual Refit! Before we do that, though, we need to remember the basics and always, Safety First. Whether working with a forgotten battery that may have frozen over the intense Winter, or while scraping and painting that flaking hull, remember the masks, the gloves and as required, the suits and tools to do the job right. With over two months to get all the jobs done, it’s better to take our time, and do the job right the first time.
On the announcement side, I’d like to put the spotlight on our Editor, Janice North, who has been the brains, and brawn behind the Chicago Log for many years. It has just come to our attention that the Chi Log has been voted the number one newsletter by National, from a field of hundreds, from throughout the entire USPS! We always knew our Chi Log, and Jan were the best. Now everyone else does too! A job well done, Jan…Thank You!
As has been said by countless others and now plagiarized by me, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Wayne
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
FEMA's Citizen Corps Partners With United States Power Squadrons
From: FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 4:10 PM
Subject: Citizen Corps News: FEMA's Citizen Corps Partners With United States Power Squadrons
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a newly-formed affiliation with the United States Power Squadrons (U.S. Power Squadrons) in support of Citizen Corps, FEMA’s grassroots effort to strengthen community preparedness through civic participation. The partnership between Citizen Corps and U.S. Power Squadrons is a natural fit as the U.S. Power Squadrons play an increasingly critical role in maritime safety and security via America’s Waterway Watch and Waterway Awareness Programs. The U.S. Power Squadrons is the twenty-seventh Citizen Corps Affiliate and is America's largest non-profit boating organization dedicated to making boating safer and more enjoyable through public education in seamanship, navigation and related marine safety topics. Nationwide, there are 45,000 members organized into 450 squadrons. Please visit the following website to read the full press release on this announcement: http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=47622. To learn more about the U.S. Power Squadrons, please visit http://www.citizencorps.gov/programs/usps.shtm.
Sincerely,
The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Community Preparedness Division
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